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What are drone regulations in your neck of woods?

G

gettingstarted

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May 17, 2020
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In Ontario, Canada, drones are prohibited for chasing, locating of the game or essentially any use during the hunting season related to hunting(including recovery btw)

Which leaves post/pre-season scouting for new spots to really zoom into areas of interest before putting boots on ground.

Which got me thinking,
what are the regs in your state/province?
 
As I understand it, my state - Massachusetts, like many states, doesn’t have clear boundaries around drone use for hunting purposes. I’ve read some of the hunting regs and I would interpret the law as not supportive of drone use. However the legislators were unaware of drones when the wording was created and law enforcement and the judicial system are just beginning to realize they need to interpret how the law impacts their use. So at this time I’d say that in my state their use for hunting hasn’t been sorted out. There are however clear FAA laws for drone use.

Check out drone-laws.com

drone-laws.com

Drone Laws in Massachusetts - [Updated January 3, 2024]

Drones are allowed in Massachusetts for recreational and commercial use, subject to FAA and local regulations. Read on for details.
drone-laws.com drone-laws.com
 
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I’ve not read up on It completely but my understanding is that they are illegal to use for anything related to hunting, including recovery in NY.

Personally, I believe they should be used for recovery much like dogs are used where only certified handlers called in can utilize them.

I do believe private citizens should have the right to use them on their own land for deer surveys and game recovery during open seasons only. Never should they be used to assist in fair chase activities like hunting. Never.

The problem is somebody will abuse the privilege if it were ever granted. I believe they have an awesome role in reducing wounding loss. I’m not sure how you would control for the nefarious types with them in their hands however.
 
Here in Virginia you cannot use drones to hunt with and you cannot hunt on the same day you used a drone to locate wildlife(just like spotting with a plane). Where it gets tricky(er) is with recovery which is much of the drone usage here regarding hunting. You can use a drone for recovery but only on private property and you better make sure you’ve got your ducks in a row doing so cuz if a wildlife officer thinks you’re hunting with an drone you’re done. It’s also illegal using a drone to interfere with hunting activities.
 
In Wisconsin, it's illegal to hunt with the aid of aircraft. The regs now specify that drones are considered aircraft.
 
Anybody know what the law in Alabama on drone deer recovery?
 
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